Disbelieving Cincinnati Mourns Loss

They held victory in their grasp only to lose it all in the final seconds of the game.

Glen Comstock stood at the edge of Fountain Square, holding his orange ``Jungle Love`` flag in a mourner`s pose. His face was frozen in disbelief.

``God, it was so close,`` he said.

Comstock, a 24-year-old student, had painted tiger paws on his face and tied a striped headband around his head.

``I don`t know. There`s next year, I guess.``

More than 300 fans had gathered at the Fountain Square plaza, watching the game on a huge, outdoor screen in the local landmark in the heart of the city.

Many had wandered out of bars after halftime; Comstock and about 100 others had weathered several hours of Cincinnati`s cold night to shout and cheer in what resembled a stadium-like environment.

Minutes after the game ended, the fans disappeared.

Cincinnatians wanted a Super Bowl win so badly, they could feel it.

All week, they had ignored the oddsmakers and experts. They were cocky underdogs, confident until the end.

``It would have meant so much more to us,`` said David Hale, 27, who stood outside Barleycorn`s bar five hours before kickoff to get a good table.

It started off so fine, with fans screaming their cry, ``Who Dey!`` as soon as the Bengals took possession of the ball.

Then they cringed and groaned as they watched nose tackle Tim Krumrie suffer an injury. Many later attributed the team`s loss to that critical moment.

Still, they kept the faith.

The close loss left the fans with their pride intact.

Getting to the Super Bowl already made them champions. And the city scheduled a welcome-home rally -- win or lose.

A large crowd is expected downtown today to cheer the team that staged an impressive turn-around from a dismal 1987 season.

``They`re still (American Football Conference) champs, and nobody can take that away from us,`` said Lori Henn, 25, who came from Dayton to watch the game at The Waterfront, a bar and restaurant partly owned by Bengal quarterback Boomer Esiason. She wore a tiger suit and tiger ears, and painted whiskers on her face.

Her fiance, Doug Larger, 25, decked out in similar attire, echoed that sentiment. ``They`re still No. 1 in our hearts,`` he said.